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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26587498">I Walk Through Your Dreams and Invent the Future</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/7_Magpies/pseuds/7_Magpies'>7_Magpies</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - The Time Traveler's Wife Fusion, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, But not too in depth because I got a headache, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mutual Pining, Paradoxes are mentioned, Protective Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara Loves Shane Madej, Shane Madej Loves Ryan Bergara, Shane Madej cannot play basketball, Shane Madej has a heart, Shane Madej has emotions, Smut, Time Travel, young!Ryan Bergara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:01:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,396</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26587498</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/7_Magpies/pseuds/7_Magpies</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“How far in the future are you from?”</p><p>“Probably a little less than a decade. Don’t ask me too many questions though, because I feel like I should abide by some kind of time travel rules.”</p><p>Shane is expecting some kind of “Terminator” or “Back to the Future” reference. What he gets instead is Ryan asking “Is this like ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’?”</p><p>“I guess so,” Shane chuckles, taken a little bit aback.</p><p>“Does that make me Rachel McAdams?”</p><p>“In your dreams."</p><p>-----</p><p>That's right, it's the Time Traveler's Wife AU none of you asked for but you're getting anyways.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ryan Bergara &amp; Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>176</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I Walk Through Your Dreams and Invent the Future</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello one and all and welcome to the madness! I'm surprised it took me so long to screw around with time travel, honestly, so here you have it! I hope you enjoy it! </p><p>Thanks, of course, to the book club for encouraging me in the scenes I sent as I worked on this. Hope you all like it!</p><p>This is my solid 4th attempt at writing sexy times so please be kind to your friendly neighborhood ace!</p><p>Title from "Litany In Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out" by Richard Siken</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shane isn’t completely sure where he fell asleep, but he’s pretty damn sure it wasn’t a park bench. That’s where he finds himself, though, woken up by the sun’s brightness even through his eyelids and the noise of traffic on the road nearby. He opens his eyes and looks around, fighting off a wave of nausea as he tries to get his bearings. </p><p> </p><p>He’s in downtown LA, he recognizes the area. It’s just… <em> wrong. </em> He doesn’t know what it is exactly, but it feels like he walked into his apartment and everything was shifted two inches to the left. He pulls himself to a sitting position, and when his shoes hit the concrete he realizes he’s fully dressed and wearing his ghoul-hunting boots. </p><p> </p><p>That’s when he remembers. Remembers the house they were at, supposedly in an area where a bunch of witches used to have a coven. Remembers talking to Ryan and then… nothing. <em> Ryan. </em></p><p> </p><p>He stands up, but quickly has to sit back down and hold his head in his hands as the nausea returns. It passes after a moment and he shakes his head, trying again. His stomach still feels like it’s staging a mutiny, but he can ignore it. He looks around, but doesn’t see his friend. “Ryan? Ryan!” He gets funny looks from the people walking past, but none of them are familiar. </p><p> </p><p>He leaves the park area he had woken up in and walks down the street, looking for his friend, when he sees a newsstand. He usually ignores them, but for some reason this one caught his eye and he stopped dead in his tracks.</p><p> </p><p>The date was wrong. </p><p> </p><p>The date was nearly <em> twenty years </em> wrong. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m dreaming. This is a dream.” The pain in his stomach and back seemed to disagree with that theory, though. “No, no, no. This is not possible.” People are looking at him strangely but he can’t bring himself to care. </p><p> </p><p>That’s when he feels something bump into his knee and looks down to see a small child, no older than about five, toddling past. He almost ignored him except that the kid seemed… familiar. He didn’t know why, but something about his face gave Shane the feeling of a word on the tip of his tongue that he just can’t place. </p><p> </p><p>As he watches, trying to figure out where in the hell he knows the kid, he realizes that he’s chasing after something that looks like a bee. It’s adorable, until he starts towards the road.</p><p> </p><p>“Stop!” Shane has no idea when he made the decision, but he steps forward and grabs the kid by the shoulders, pulling him back onto the sidewalk as the traffic roars in front of them. </p><p> </p><p>“Ryan!” Shane looks up at the female voice and sees - Mrs. Bergara. She’s younger than Shane has ever seen her, but it’s definitely Ryan’s mom, pushing a stroller with an even smaller boy in it. “Thank you so much, I’m so sorry, Ryan what were you thinking?!” Shane feels so weird, watching this woman he knows from decades before he knows her. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s… it’s fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“You must think I’m a terrible mom. Jake kicked his shoes off so I was putting them back on, and when I looked up Ryan had wandered off.” She’s obviously stressed, pushing her black hair behind her ear as she kneels down to Ryan’s level. “Don’t wander off like that, you scared me to death!” She hugs him and stands back up, putting her hand out to Shane. “Thank you so much.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s… really, it’s fine. Happy to help.” He shook her hand. “And I don’t. Think you’re a bad mom, that is.”</p><p> </p><p>She smiles, and it’s Ryan’s smile, and Shane feels like he’s going to be sick because there’s no way he could imagine all of this. Time traveling hot dogs and holographic corn and sexy blue peaches? Yes. This? No way.</p><p> </p><p>“Well have a nice rest of your day,” she says, taking Ryan’s hand and walking away, and Shane nods and says some polite words and then finds a bench and sits down so hard it makes his teeth click together in his mouth. </p><p> </p><p>“This cannot be happening,” he says under his breath. “No way.”</p><p> </p><p>He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and hopes that when he opens them everything is normal.</p><p> </p><p>It doesn’t work.</p><p> </p><p>It doesn’t work the next time, either.</p><p> </p><p>Or the third time. </p><p> </p><p>“What do I even do,” he said to himself, trying to think. He has no idea what he’s supposed to do when he’s almost two decades removed from his own time. His stomach decides for him, though, as it growls.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe things will make more sense on a full stomach. He decides it can’t hurt. He stands and walks past a few doors before finding what looks like a restaurant, not one he recognizes from his own time, and steps in.</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>… and steps outside, and chokes back bile building up in his throat, grabbing the doorframe to keep his knees from giving out from under him. </p><p> </p><p>He was really damn sure he was walking inside, but he’s definitely back outside, and in a different place entirely. </p><p> </p><p>Before he can decide anything further about his new location, though, he has to crash on a bench and hold his head in his hands. </p><p> </p><p>The nausea wears off quicker this time, and he takes a deep, steadying breath before trying to find out where he is <em> now. </em></p><p> </p><p>The answer is pretty easy to find.</p><p> </p><p>He’s in Disneyland. </p><p> </p><p>But… <em> not. </em> Not the Disneyland he knows, at least. Rides and buildings are not quite how he remembers. He tries very hard not to think the question “<em>when </em> is this?” but fails.</p><p> </p><p>That’s when he hears the crying.</p><p> </p><p>He looks over at the bench next to his and sees a kid. Not quite seven years old, at Shane’s best guess, sitting hunched over on the bench and hugging himself. He’s trying not to cry, but losing the battle. </p><p> </p><p>Again, the kid looks familiar, but Shane has started to figure out the logic to the madness.</p><p> </p><p>He stands up and moves to sit on the bench next to the kid. “Hey, are you alright?”</p><p> </p><p>The kid rubs his eyes, sniffling as though he can make it look as though he hadn’t been crying, and Shane’s heart breaks a little bit at the sight. “I’m lost,” he says in a small voice that Shane almost misses over the screams from a nearby ride.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry. What’s your name?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ryan.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane was afraid of that. He does take a moment to take the tiny (<em>t</em><em>inier</em>) Ryan in. He’s still got some baby fat in his cheeks, and his legs are too short to reach the ground, and he’s absolutely adorable. </p><p> </p><p>This is a startling realization to Shane, because he’s more than a little attracted to his own Ryan (<em>not </em> my <em> Ryan, just, the Ryan I know</em>). He decides to figure out the ethics of the situation later, though. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, where did you last see your parents?” </p><p> </p><p>Ryan points to a crowded ride. “We were in line, and I got distracted, and then they weren’t there.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane nods. “Well, it’s a good thing you came over here instead of trying to find them.”</p><p> </p><p>“My mom says not to wander around when I get lost.”</p><p> </p><p>“Your mom’s a smart woman,” Shane says with a smile. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. What if I put you on my shoulders and you look for them from higher up?”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan looks over Shane’s skinny frame. “Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! Do you think I can’t pick you up? I’ll have you know that I’m big and strong.” He flexes his arm with a goofy face, and Ryan chuckles a little, his tear-stained cheeks dimpling. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine, I’m sure a smart lady like your mom also told you not to talk to strangers.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan seems to think about it. “Are you sure you won’t drop me?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane puts a hand on his chest. “Scout’s honor!”</p><p> </p><p>The kid nods. “Okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane stands and lifts him to stand on the bench. “Count of three, jump, okay?” </p><p> </p><p>It’s a little difficult to get Ryan’s chubby legs situated on Shane’s shoulders, but when they figure it out, Ryan’s six and a half feet in the air. “How’s the weather up there?” Shane asks, and Ryan laughs.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m a hundred feet up!” He says gleefully, fingers gripping Shane’s hair.</p><p> </p><p>“Give or take,” Shane replies, laughing. “Let’s see if we can find your mom.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mom! Dad!” Ryan starts calling, and Shane slowly walks around the small area, gripping Ryan’s legs firmly. </p><p> </p><p>“I see them!” Ryan called pointing excitedly after about a minute.</p><p> </p><p>“Which way?” Shane asks. Ryan guides him (only getting his left and right confused once) and they find Ryan’s parents, both of whom look like they’re an inch from a heart attack. “Here you are.” He sets Ryan down on the ground and sighs when he puts him back down. “Sheesh, you’re heavy! You’re so strong I think you should have been carrying me!” </p><p> </p><p>Ryan laughs and his mom rushes over, hugging him. “Ryan! We were so worried!” She looks up at Shane, and he’s afraid she’s going to recognize him, but she doesn’t seem to. “Thank you so much, sir!”</p><p> </p><p>“No worries, ma’am, you’ve got a smart kid here,” he says smiling, knowing that moms eat that stuff up.</p><p> </p><p>“Not smart enough to <em> not wander off,” </em> she says pinching Ryan’s cheek, causing him to protest. “You’re going to be the death of me! Come on, let’s get some ice cream and then I’m buying you a leash.” </p><p> </p><p>Ryan groans and starts protesting to his mom about not needing one when Mr. Bergara walks over to Shane and puts his hand out. “Thank you for helping,” he says.</p><p> </p><p>“Didn’t want to just leave him there, ya know? I’m just glad it all worked out.” He shakes his hand. It’s weird. So weird. But at this point, a few decades younger Steven Bergara is not even about to register on the list of “crazy shit” that Shane’s been seeing, so he just ignores the voice in his brain screaming “what the <em> fuck! </em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Have a nice day,” Shane says, walking away. “Now how do I get out of here without a ticket,” he says under his breath. </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>The nausea isn’t nearly as bad the third time as he walks through the door into a restaurant and steps onto an unfamiliar playground. It’s more the whiplash of being in a completely different place from one footstep to the next that affects him, and he leans heavily against the poles of the swingset a couple yards away from the building he's just exited.</p><p> </p><p>“This sucks,” he says under his breath, trying to get his bearings. He’s just walked out of what looks like a bathroom just off of a small playground. He has no idea where (<em>or when</em>, an unhelpful voice in his brain adds) he is. </p><p> </p><p>The park isn’t very busy, a small group of preteen boys are running around a basketball court a little ways away from where he’s standing, and some moms are on benches watching smaller kids on the playground while they talk amongst themselves. </p><p> </p><p>That’s when he notices the kid on the swing next to him. He recognizes him even from the side at this point. “Hey,” he says softly.</p><p> </p><p>The kid looks up at him, and Shane figures Ryan’s about eleven now. He looks like he recognizes Shane for a moment, but then looks back ahead at the boys on the basketball court. </p><p> </p><p>“My name is Shane. Do you mind if I swing?”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan shrugs, and Shane sits on the swing beside him. “Not want to play basketball?”</p><p> </p><p>“I do, but I’m the odd one out. Neither team picked me.” </p><p> </p><p>Shane nods, frowning. “I understand.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan scoffs. “How? You’re <em> tall. </em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, height doesn’t matter if you have as much hand-eye coordination as one of those blow-up noodle man things they have at used-car places,” Shane says sagely, and Ryan barks a short laugh despite himself. That’s when Shane remembers he’s not supposed to know Ryan’s name yet. “I’m Shane.”</p><p> </p><p>That flicker of recognition passes through Ryan’s dark eyes, but it’s gone in just a moment. “I’m Ryan.”</p><p> </p><p><em> I know. I know so much about you. </em> </p><p> </p><p>“Wanna try and play one-on-one?”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan frowns. “That doesn’t seem fair. You’re, like, a hundred feet tall.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yup! It’s actually a disadvantage, my legs get in each other’s way and I look like a human pretzel. I’ve been told it’s very funny.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan chuckles despite himself. “Okay, if you want to,” he says evenly, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. </p><p> </p><p><em> He’s adorable. Shit, that’s weird. </em> Looking at this small (<em>smaller</em>) Ryan, Shane can’t help but compare and contrast with the one he knows. Young Ryan’s almost skin and bone, that thinness that only comes with massive growth spurts. The Ryan he knows is well built (not that he’s noticed, but he’s definitely noticed). This Ryan’s hair is shorter and thinner, too, not completely grown in as thick as the mop of hair his Ryan has. There were similarities, though, like when Young Ryan smiled, and all of the sudden Shane felt like he was decades in the future goofing around with his friend.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t know why he was in the past, or why this was happening, but he was starting to miss Ryan. Even though for him, he had seen Ryan a few hours earlier, the removal of decades from his Ryan was weighing heavily on him, even as he rolled up his sleeves and started to dribble the basketball that Young Ryan passed to him. “Okay, so, fair warning, I know nothing about playing basketball.”</p><p> </p><p>Young Ryan laughs, watching his attempts at dribbling. “I could guess.”</p><p> </p><p>They try to play a few rounds, and Shane gets his ass firmly handed to him. “This was a bad idea,” he pants after Ryan gets another basket on him. “I’m so out of shape.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan laughs again as Shane sits heavily on the blacktop, and Shane is struck by how similar the sound is to his Ryan’s laugh. Before he can say anything, though, they hear Ryan’s mom calling him. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve gotta go. That was fun, though!”</p><p> </p><p>“Except for the time I fell on my butt?”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Especially </em> the time you fell on your butt.” He put his hand out and high fived Shane, and from his seated position, he went to about Ryan’s shoulder. “Will you be here tomorrow?” </p><p> </p><p>“You’ll be seeing me around,” Shane can’t resist saying, and Ryan grins widely before running towards his mom. </p><p> </p><p>“Bye!”</p><p> </p><p>Shane waves, smiling after the kid, and his stomach ties in knots. He’s suddenly been struck with the question he’s been avoiding. <em> How did I get here? How do I go home to </em> my <em> Ryan? </em></p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>Shane was kind of expecting the next time he stepped through a doorway to feel the now familiar nausea rise, and he was right. Except now, it’s night, and he has no idea where he is. </p><p> </p><p>The nausea has been lessening with every trip, and this time, he almost doesn’t notice it. </p><p> </p><p>It takes his eyes a moment to adjust from the  midafternoon sun to the night sky, even though it’s fairly decently lit from the streetlights. He looks around at the brick buildings surrounding him and the grass and trees, trying to figure out if he has any memory of ever being there. It’s the large poster hanging in a window that gives him his biggest clue, though. </p><p> </p><p>He’s at Ryan’s college. </p><p> </p><p>It’s quiet, no one else seems to be walking around at… whatever time it is. Until he hears a faint cursing and turns around, seeing someone round the corner of a building.</p><p> </p><p>College-age Ryan is skinny with a mess of dark hair, wearing a too-long jersey and sweatpants. He looks like he’s unable to walk in much of a straight line, and he doesn’t seem to see Shane as he walks down the sidewalk towards him.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi,” he says, hoping not to scare Ryan. </p><p> </p><p>He turns and looks at him funnily. “I know you.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane feels the adrenaline course through his veins at the matter of fact tone under Ryan’s words. “You… you do?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. You were at the park when I was a kid.” His words are slurring together, and Shane can tell he’s pretty buzzed. “And… Disneyland?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane nods.</p><p> </p><p>“You look exactly the same. Even your outfit is the same. Shane?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. It’s a weird story”</p><p> </p><p>“Why are you here?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane just shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets. “I don’t… really know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Time travel?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh… Yeah. I guess.” He’s surprised at how easily Ryan suggests the theory. "I’ve just been going to different points. The park, Disneyland, the first one was actually when you were a little kid.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan nods, and seems to be giving Shane a once-over. “Just my life?”</p><p> </p><p>“Looks like it. I have no idea why, though.” He’s feeling better, finally talking about this with Ryan, even if it’s not <em> quite </em> his Ryan. It’s the closest he’s seen since this insanity began.</p><p> </p><p>“Do we know each other?” He seems to be sobering up a little bit, talking to Shane about this craziness. </p><p> </p><p>Shane has to think about if it would be a bad thing to tell him before deciding that, if anything he did could <em> really </em> hurt the universe too badly, then that was on it for allowing this madness to happen anyways. “Yeah. We’re friends. I was with you, the last thing I remember before waking up in the past.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan nods. “How far in the future are you from?”</p><p> </p><p>“Probably a little less than a decade. Don’t ask me too many questions though, because I feel like I should abide by some kind of time travel rules.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane is expecting some kind of “Terminator” or “Back to the Future” reference. What he gets instead is Ryan asking “Is this like ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’?”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess so,” Shane chuckles, taken a little bit aback.</p><p> </p><p>“Does that make me Rachel McAdams?”</p><p> </p><p>“In your dreams,” Shane shoots back, and they both chuckle, despite the insanity of the conversation. “But seriously, I don’t know what’s up. At first I thought I was just saving you, but then we just played basketball at the park, and now…” he trails off, taking in the expression on Ryan's face.</p><p> </p><p>“I think you show up when I need you,” Ryan says softly.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you need me now?”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan shrugs with a shoulder, running a hand through his already messy hair. “I think I need a friend, and one from the future is better than none, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane nods. “Yeah, I guess.” He’s not sure what is okay, what is allowed, but he finally decides <em> fuck it </em> and puts a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. </p><p> </p><p>Ryan looks at the hand carefully for a moment, seeming to make a decision. Then he steps closer to Shane, and suddenly they’re hugging.</p><p> </p><p>He’s hugged his Ryan before, just not a lot. They touch casually a lot, a pat on the shoulder, a bump of the elbow, the occasional tug of hair or clothing for a bit. But nothing more substantial than a shoulder pat or arm around the waist for a photo. This is different. It’s so different, but, at the same time, not. Because it’s <em> Ryan. </em> Slimmer, younger, but undeniably Ryan. And being close to Ryan is the most natural thing in the world, even under these unnatural circumstances. So he hugs back. He allows himself to pretend it’s <em> his </em> Ryan in his arms, <em> his </em> Ryan burying his face in the crook of his neck, <em> his </em>Ryan’s hands clutching at his shirt. It’s heartbreaking and cathartic all at once, and Shane doesn’t really know what to think about that, but he feels warmth build up behind his eyes and closes them hard to try and keep the tears from falling. </p><p> </p><p>Ryan’s still against him, and Shane only feels the rise and fall of his chest against his own.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, let’s get you home, okay?” Shane says quietly, speaking almost directly into Ryan’s ear. “I’ll make sure you get there alright.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan nods and steps back, leading Shane towards a tall brick building. They walk through the front door, and Shane breathes a sigh of relief when he enters the building and ends where it looks like he should be, and not at some different point in time. Ryan looks at him strangely but doesn’t say anything. Ryan’s room is on the third floor, and it smells like BO and old food and basically what every college dorm room he had ever been in smelled like. Shane takes a moment to be grateful that Ryan’s roommate seems to not be staying there that night. He sits on Ryan’s bed without thinking about it, and Ryan sits next to him, turned to face him. </p><p> </p><p>“What was going on?” Shane asks softly, looking at Ryan’s face.</p><p> </p><p>Ryan doesn’t meet his eyes, looking at his hands in his lap. “I just left a party. I’ve been drinking. I just… I’ve been feeling depressed, y’know? I was… I don’t know what I was gonna do.” </p><p> </p><p>Shane’s heart breaks at the admission, and he reaches for Ryan without thinking about it. “It’s going to be okay. I know everyone says that, but I know it for a fact. I’ve been in the future, and you do great.”</p><p> </p><p>“How do I know you’re from the future, though?”</p><p> </p><p>“You said you recognize me from the past,” Shane points out. “Is it really that much further of a stretch to think I’m from the future?”</p><p> </p><p>“Look, I’m having a weird day, okay?” Ryan says, rubbing his forehead. “I know I recognize you from that time I was a kid, and I’m pretty sure I recognize you from Disneyland, and I know I’ve heard a story about someone keeping me from running into the road when I was a baby. It’s weird, okay?” His voice is getting rushed and rising in pitch in the way it does when he’s nervous. “I just need some kind of proof that I’m not losing my complete and total mind.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane thinks for a moment, trying to decide what he can do to prove it without possibly going “Back to the Future 3” somehow. After a moment, he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket. “Here.”</p><p> </p><p>He passes it to Ryan, and he frowns, looking at it. “This looks like an iPhone,” he says, looking it over. </p><p> </p><p>Shane reaches over and unlocks it. “It is, but one from my time.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan’s eyes widen as he swipes through the screen. “The picture is a lot clearer than the ones I’ve seen.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane grins a little bit. “This is a pretty recent model - to my time, at least. They came a long way from the ones I remember from this time.” He takes his phone back and opens the camera roll, finding a selfie and showing it to Ryan. “See the date stamp?”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan nods. “Yeah, I guess you’re telling the truth. This is crazy.” He hands the cell phone back to Shane. “In the future…”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t ask me too much, I don’t want to accidentally cause a paradox.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right. I just… is this worth it?” He asks, waving his hand vaguely around his dorm. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, I’d say so, because it puts you where I meet you when I meet you, so…” he shrugs. “If I were to be selfish, I’d say absolutely. But I do really think you’re happy in the future.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan nods. “That’s- that’s good.” He seems to think for a moment. “So in the future. You said we’re friends. Just… just friends?” He seems nervous about asking.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, yeah. What else would we be?”</p><p> </p><p>He shrugs. “I mean, unless my type changes pretty drastically over the next few years, I must be pretty damn into you.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane’s jaw drops a little at the statement. “Sorry?”</p><p> </p><p>“You know, tall, goofy looking, funny? You’re so my type. Does future me have a girlfriend or boyfriend or something?” He doesn’t seem like he’s trying to tease Shane, but he can’t tell for sure. This is the last place Shane expected the conversation going.</p><p> </p><p>“Well… I mean… you’re single. And so am I. But you’ve never said… or done anything.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan looks up at him. “Well in that case, I’m gonna do this for future me.”</p><p> </p><p>Before Shane can react, Ryan leans over and kisses him. It’s wet and sloppy, and Ryan tastes like cheap booze, and all in all is not a great kiss. But it’s still enough to make Shane’s mind go blank and he blinks in surprise when Ryan pulls back. “I… what?”</p><p> </p><p>“I can tell that future-me is gonna be very in love with you, so I did that for him. When you get back there, tell him he’s welcome.” He’s smiling mischievously and Shane thinks he looks almost impish. </p><p> </p><p>“I think you need to go to sleep, okay?” Shane isn’t sure what to think, because this is Ryan, but it isn’t <em> his </em> Ryan. This Ryan is young and a little drunk and surely Shane would know if he were Ryan’s <em> type</em>, right? “I’ll sleep in the chair. You need to lie down on your side, okay?” He stands and steps over to the chair.</p><p> </p><p>Ryan takes his hand before he can move too far away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… That was dumb.” He lets go of Shane’s wrist slowly, and Shane stands there, looking down at him, and realizing just how <em> young </em> this Ryan is. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s alright. I’ll probably still be here in the morning. We can talk then if you want. But you need to try and sleep, alright?” He can’t help but run his hand through Ryan’s dark hair before he walks to sit in the chair. It’s wooden and uncomfortable, but he lays a blanket over it, which helps some.</p><p> </p><p>“Shane, don’t be stupid. You can’t sleep on that chair. There’s room here. I promise I’ll keep some distance, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane weighs the options, and finally decides to give in and lie next to Ryan on the twin bed. They manage to keep some space between them, and Shane realizes how exhausted he is from the day as soon as his head hits the pillow. </p><p> </p><p>“Good night,” Ryan says quietly. </p><p> </p><p>“Night. Sleep well.”</p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>The next day Shane wakes up and opens his eyes to see Ryan already awake and looking at him. “Morning,” Shane says.</p><p> </p><p>“Good morning,” Ryan replies, smiling sleepily, and he’s so <em> adorable </em>. </p><p> </p><p>“How are you feeling?” </p><p> </p><p>“Only sort of like shit, thanks for asking.” He sits up and stretches before getting out of bed and grabbing a pack of Pop Tarts, tossing Shane a pack.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks.” He isn’t the biggest fan of Pop Tarts, but he’s starving, and he feels like there aren't a lot of culinary options in a college dorm room. So he sits up and moves to the edge of Ryan’s bed before starting to eat them. </p><p> </p><p>Ryan eats his in record time while walking around his room. When he finishes, he sits in the chair Shane was planning on sleeping in. “Okay. We need to figure out how you got here and how to get you home.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane nods, on board. </p><p> </p><p>“What’s the last thing you remember?”</p><p> </p><p>He has to figure out what all he can tell Ryan. “We were… it was you, me, and a few other people that we work with. We were at this place where there was supposedly witch activity back a few centuries ago. I remember getting there, but then the details get fuzzy. I just remember us joking about something and then, suddenly, I’m on a park bench in downtown LA.”’ He shrugs. </p><p> </p><p>Ryan seems to think through these details. “Okay. Maybe there was some residual magic, and something one of us said triggered it?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane was about to say <em> I don’t believe in magic </em> when he realized he was talking to his best friend from about five years before he was supposed to know him. “I guess that makes as much sense as anything else.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know how to get you back, though. Maybe you’re supposed to satisfy the spell, or learn a lesson… I dunno, man.” He rests his chin in his hand. “It’s hard since you don’t remember exactly what you said.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Shane finishes up the food and throws the wrapper away. “Look, maybe we should talk.” </p><p> </p><p>Ryan blushes and looks down at his shoes. “I’m sorry. I was drunk, and-”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it’s okay, really. I just… I need to understand why.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan looks back up at him, seemingly trying to gauge if Shane is seriously not mad. Once he seems confident that he isn’t, he relaxes a little. “Like I said last night, you’re my type.”</p><p> </p><p>“But why wouldn’t future you have ever told me that you’re bisexual? I’ve thought you were straight this whole time!”</p><p> </p><p>He frowns. “Maybe I remember this conversation and you saying that I never told you, and so I don’t tell you, so you don’t know, then when you get back here, we can have this conversation?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane tries to follow that logic, but feels himself grow dizzy. “I officially hate time travel,” he mutters, rubbing his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. I dunno, man. Maybe I was afraid of telling you? Maybe I was really into you and just assumed I didn’t have a chance and didn’t try?”</p><p> </p><p>“But why would you think that? I mean, trust me, future you is pretty damn easy on the eyes. If anything, you’re out of my league.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan smirks a little. “Do I get buff?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane smiles despite himself. “Maybe. I’m not telling you anything else, though.” </p><p> </p><p>“Fair enough,” he laughs. “Anyways. Can you try to remember what led to you getting sent back in time? Maybe… Maybe this and that are related.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane closes his eyes and tries to think. “I just remember… something scared you. You were talking about being freaked out. Being afraid something was going to get you. So I said something about…” He opens his eyes as he remembers. “I didn’t say anything. I just thought it.”</p><p> </p><p>“What was it?” Ryan’s sitting on the edge of his seat, listening. </p><p> </p><p>“I thought ‘I’ve always been there for you.’ It’s cliche as hell, I know,” he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I guess the witches or whoever the heck were like ‘well let’s make sure that’s true.’’</p><p> </p><p>“I guess. And now you’ve been there for me. Why are you still here, though?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane shrugs. “I have to walk through a doorway, for whatever reason.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” He looks at the door to his dorm room. “I guess… I guess you should do that, then, and get back to me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. I guess so.” He stands up and steps towards Ryan. “It was great to meet you, though. I mean, meet young you. I’ve got a lot to ask you about now,” he says with a small smirk.</p><p> </p><p>Ryan has stood up and looks up at Shane. “At least I’ve got a few years to think about the answers, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess so.” He puts his arms out for a hug, and Ryan steps into it, holding him close. </p><p> </p><p>Shane hugs Ryan, and tries not to think about how ready he is to see <em> his </em>Ryan again. </p><p> </p><p>“See you later.” He steps back and walks through the door.</p><p> </p><p>He doesn’t hear Ryan say “see you” quietly. </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>Shane steps into the small wooden hut where he remembered last being before his little jaunt through time. He’s alone though. </p><p> </p><p>“Ryan? Ryan!” He looks around frantically. What if something happened to him? What if he got sent through time, too? What if, what if, what if… He runs to the doorway leading outside and almost slams into Ryan as he opens the door.</p><p> </p><p>“Shane! Are you okay? What happ-” He’s cut off by Shane pulling him into a full body hug. “Whoa, what’s wrong? Shane?” </p><p> </p><p>“It’s a long, long story. Can we… are we almost done here?”</p><p> </p><p>“We can be, I guess.” He pulls away from Shane’s grip just enough to look up at his friend’s face. “Are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m better now,” he says with a smile. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, you’re being weird. Even weirder than usual, which I didn’t think was possible.” </p><p> </p><p>Shane pulls him back to his chest for a last tight squeeze before letting him go so they can pack up and leave. He doesn’t let Ryan out of his sight the entire time they pack the car. </p><p> </p><p>-----</p><p> </p><p>Back at the hotel, Shane and Ryan sit on the balcony of their room on a crappy plastic patio couch and Shane tells him about his day (<em>days?</em>). For his part, Ryan allows him to talk without interrupting. When Shane gets to the part where he went to Ryan’s college, though, he cuts him off. </p><p> </p><p>“I remember that,” he says with a blush, not meeting Shane’s face. “I’d tried to forget all of that, I thought I was crazy. Then when I met you… I couldn’t exactly say anything, you’d think I was insane.”</p><p> </p><p>“True. It’s just… it was so crazy. Seeing you but… not you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I remember you saying that you were only going through my life. Did you go anywhere else between then and now?”</p><p> </p><p>He shakes his head. “Just you. Just those four times. Also, um…” he tries to decide if he should be the one to mention what college-age-Ryan had said, and finally decides <em> fuck it. </em> “You said that, um, you’re welcome. For, um…” He vaguely gestures to his face, hoping Ryan understands what he’s getting at.</p><p> </p><p>“Right. I’m - I’m so sorry, Shane, that was… I don’t know what I was thinking, saying that shit.” </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Ryan, it’s okay. I just… you never told me you’re, y’know, not straight.”</p><p> </p><p>“Right. It just didn’t come up.” He looks like he’d rather be anywhere than having this conversation. “And what I said about… you being my type…” He sighs heavily, covering his face with his hands. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t need you to let me down easy, okay? Just say that you don’t feel the same way, we can pretend none of this ever happened.” </p><p> </p><p>Shane can see him spiraling, see that his mind has already gone through all of the worst case scenarios, and that’s what he’s prepared for. It’s a little heart-breaking, and Shane gently rests his hand on Ryan’s shoulder, trying to keep him from that spiral.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s… Look, I don’t know how to say this, you know I kind of suck at emotions.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, ‘cause you’re a robot,” Ryan replies, but the familiar line doesn’t sound the same, sounds afraid instead of the usual cockiness he delivers his barbs with. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe. Just, look at me, please?”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan slowly looks up from his hands, and his eyes are opened wide. He looks terrified.</p><p> </p><p>“Younger you seemed pretty confident you would fall for me. Did… did you?”</p><p> </p><p>He nods slowly, and his eyes move away from Shane’s again, but he gently cups his cheek, forcing Ryan to keep turned towards him. </p><p> </p><p>“Good,” he says softly. “Because so did I.” The admission that he had been avoiding even thinking for months slips off his tongue, and he feels like he lost a weight from his shoulders. </p><p> </p><p>Ryan looks surprised and he shakes his head almost imperceptibly. “You don’t… you don’t have to say that, Shane. I’ll-”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not <em> just saying it. </em> I mean it. I have for a while. I just didn’t think there was anyway you felt the same way. I mean, look at you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Look at <em> you, </em> I mean…” He laughs breathily. “I just… I can’t believe I wing-manned myself. Wow.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yup.” Shane laughs a little, and realizes his hand is still on Ryan’s cheek. Ryan seems to make the same realization at the same time, because he closes his eyes and leans into the touch. “I missed you,” Shane says quietly, looking at his friend.</p><p> </p><p>“I missed you, when I was waiting to meet you for your first time after you left. It was a long five years.” </p><p> </p><p>Shane smiles, but his heart feels crushed. “I’m sorry. But I’ll always be here, now.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know.” He opens his eyes and looks at Shane through thick lashes. In the dark, with the only light being the naked bulb above their head, Ryan looks almost ethereal, his skin almost glowing in the warm lighting, and his cheekbones highlighted. </p><p> </p><p>Shane finally gets the courage to lean in, bring Ryan’s face towards his own, and they kiss. It’s much better than the one in Ryan’s dorm room all those years ago. It’s soft, testing the waters almost. Barely more than a press of the lips. Shane melts at the contact, though, and brings his free hand to rest on the back of Ryan’s neck.</p><p> </p><p>Ryan deepens the kiss, turning his head so their lips slot together better and pressing his tongue against Shane’s lower lip. He gasps, and Ryan uses that to slip his tongue in.</p><p> </p><p>It’s a long, hot, heavy kiss, and he takes a stuttering breath around Ryan when he feels his hands slip under the hem of his t-shirt. His hands are warm and strong against Shane’s stomach, fingers wrapping around Shane’s hips and pulling him. </p><p> </p><p>They break apart and catch their breath when Ryan pulls Shane on top of him on the small couch, and Shane wriggles so that he’s straddling Ryan’s waist and leaning on his elbows on either side of Ryan’s head. </p><p> </p><p>Ryan keeps his hands on Shane’s hips, and he’s grinning up at Shane. “I’ve been looking forward to this for years.” </p><p> </p><p>Shane smiles and takes in Ryan’s flushed cheeks, blown pupils, and messed up hair. He moves one hand to rest on the side of Ryan’s face, stroking over his cheekbone with his thumb. “You’re beautiful,” he says softly.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re not so bad yourself.” He moves one hand to cover Shane’s. “Now are you gonna keep gaping at me or are you going to kiss me again?”</p><p> </p><p>He chuckles and leans back down to kiss Ryan. “You’re so demanding.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been waiting for years, I think I’m allowed,” he jokes before going back to kissing Shane.</p><p> </p><p>Shane had imagined this, imagined kissing Ryan. He usually stopped himself before it got too far, but sometimes he was weak and allowed the fantasy to play out. This was a completely different animal, though. There were so many details he could never have imagined, like the way Ryan’s breath caught when Shane kissed along a specific spot on his throat, or the way his hips jerked when Shane traced over his nipple, or the soft whine that rubbing over the bulge in his pants produced. </p><p> </p><p>“Is this okay?” he asks when his hand rests on the button to Ryan’s pants.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, <em> fuck</em>, yes,” Ryan answers breathlessly, head thrown back and exposing his neck. Shane takes advantage of it and nips at the side of Ryan’s throat as his hands work at unfastening his jeans. </p><p> </p><p>He finally undoes the zipper but pauses before pushing them the rest of the way down. </p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong?” Ryan asks, panting a little bit.</p><p> </p><p>“I wanna do this right. Come here.” He pushes himself off of Ryan and stands up, grabbing Ryan’s hand and pulling him into the bedroom. “You deserve better than an old plastic couch.”</p><p> </p><p>“Damn right I do,” Ryan replies with a smile, standing on his toes to kiss Shane. He kisses back for a long moment before pushing Ryan’s chest so he falls back onto the mattress with a surprised laugh. “Whoa, there.”</p><p> </p><p>Shane just grins and pulls Ryan’s jeans off before unfastening his own. Ryan’s moved so that he’s sitting back against the headboard, watching. “I think this is more of you than I’ve ever seen.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’d say the same, but there was that swimwear video.” </p><p> </p><p>Ryan laughs, but blushes the same deep red as the one-piece from that same video. “Shut up, Shane.”</p><p> </p><p>“Make me,” he says with a wink. He finally gets his pants down and crawls over Ryan on the bed, gripping the hem of his shirt and pulling it over his head so that he’s only left in his boxers. Shane kisses him and throws the shirt into the floor as Ryan starts to tug off Shane’s. Finally they’re both down to just their underwear, and Ryan is grinding into Shane like a teenager and he’d tease him for it if it wasn’t so hot.</p><p> </p><p>Shane reaches down, grabbing the waistband of his boxers. “You’re still sure?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Shane, I’m sure.” </p><p> </p><p>Shane nods and, with shaky hands, pushes down Ryan’s boxers, completely exposing his cock. Shane feels his breath catch when he sees it. “What do you want?” </p><p> </p><p>“I - fuck, I don’t care.” His eyes roll back in his head when Shane’s lips close around the head. “Shit,” he hisses, and Shane smiles around him before slowly sinking down on Ryan until he feels it bump against the back of his mouth. </p><p> </p><p>In a few minutes, Ryan’s moans change and his fingers grab at Shane’s hair. “I’m about to- Shane, I’m gonna-” </p><p> </p><p>He takes as much of Ryan as he can and swallows down his orgasm, taking pride in Ryan whining his name as he climaxes. He pulls off and wipes his mouth, looking at the blissed-out expression on Ryan’s face. Ryan opens his eyes after a moment and grins. “When did you get so good at that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not gonna reveal my secret,” Shane answers with a smirk. He crawls up to kiss Ryan, and feels as much as hears him groan at the taste of himself on Shane’s tongue. </p><p> </p><p>Ryan pushes Shane’s boxers down and starts stroking, rubbing the precum down his length to help slick his fingers. Shane’s arms go limp and he falls onto his side, so Ryan pushes him over and rolls on top of him, straddling his thighs. “There you go, look at you,” he says in a gravelly voice that Shane would probably make fun of any other time, but at the moment it’s shorting out all of his synapses.</p><p> </p><p>He has to bite the back of his hand to keep from groaning too loudly, but he knows he’s still noisy. </p><p> </p><p>He’s almost embarrassed by how short of time it takes for him to finish, or how much of a mess it makes between them, but then Ryan’s kissing him and any shame he might have felt vanishes at the hot press of his lips as he comes down from his high. </p><p> </p><p>“We’re a mess,” he finally says breathlessly. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Give me a minute.” He goes to the bathroom and comes back with a damp washcloth and wipes Shane’s stomach off. When they’re both clean, he gets in bed beside Shane and wraps his arms around him, pulling him close. </p><p> </p><p>Shane rests his head against Ryan’s shoulder and smiles when he feels Ryan press a kiss to the top of his head. He rests his hand on Ryan’s collarbone and runs his fingers along it, feeling Ryan’s heartbeat from lower in his chest. </p><p> </p><p>“I guess that college-you makes for a pretty good wingman,” Shane can’t help but quip. </p><p> </p><p>“Shut up, Shane,” Ryan says, but it’s so fond and sweet that Shane feels butterflies in his stomach for a second at the sound of it. He turns his head and kisses along Ryan’s collarbone lightly. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad it happened, honestly. The time travel. Even if it apparently means magic is sort of real.”</p><p> </p><p>“‘Sort of’?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I mean… There’s obviously <em> some </em> truth to it, but I’m not gonna say <em> all </em>magic is real.”</p><p> </p><p>Ryan sighs, shaking his head. “You wouldn’t admit that the supernatural exists if it bit you in the ass.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you offering to bite me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why do I love you?”</p><p> </p><p>Shane laughs into Ryan’s chest. “Because. You do.”</p><p> </p><p>“You got me there,” he chuckles, running his hand through Shane’s hair. “Just don’t go time travelling on me again, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry,” he says, running his hand up to cup Ryan’s cheek. “I’m gonna be sticking around.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’d better,” Ryan replies, turning his head to kiss Shane’s palm. </p><p> </p><p><em>I've always been there for you,</em> he thinks again, wicked witches be damned.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed! It was an absolute blast to write! </p><p>I'm the most emotionally repressed person, so I hope I did Shane's emotions decently!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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